If Don Blankenship were a performing artist and his candidacy an ongoing criticism of the current tribal state of politics, his latest ad would be sublime.
But he’s not, and it isn’t. He’s a Republican running for Senate in West Virginia and he just released what has to be the lowest budget campaign ad of 2018.
Blankenship doubles down on his use of the term “Chinapeople” to describe the Chinese, and refers to the in-laws of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., as “his China family.” (He is married to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, who was born in Taiwan.) He insists he is in good mental health. Then the screen goes blank for half-a-second and he emerges holding two children in either arm, pledging to “beat Joe Manchin and ditch cocaine Mitch” — his epithet for McConnell — “for the sake of the kids.”
The whole thing is delivered in a monotone, expressionless deadpan. It could even be funny, if Blankenship’s campaign wasn’t serious.
Thanks to low name-ID, Blankenship isn’t too far behind his two serious GOP opponents, Rep. Evan Jenkins and state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey. Just days before the primary, a poll shows him in third place with 16 percent of the vote compared to Morrisey’s 21 and Jenkins’ 25 percent.
And after the final debate of the primary, where he debuted the term “Chinaperson,” some even praised his performance.
National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Cory Gardner, R-Colo., has already pledged that the party will support whoever wins the primary. If Blankenship wins, though, Republicans are going to miss their best opportunity to beat incumbent Democrat Manchin. It will definitely be a performance, but the Democrats will be the only ones laughing.
